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How to Verify Vaseline Glass

Vaseline glass is a yellowy-green color and has the distinction of being made with small amounts of uranium dioxide -- hence it is sometimes known as "uranium glass." Popular from the 1880s through to the late 1920s, it was used mainly for utilitarian pieces such as jelly molds, pickle dishes and dressing table pots. You can provisionally identify a piece with the naked eye, but proper verification requires the use of ultraviolet light.

Things You'll Need

  • Ultraviolet light
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Instructions

    • 1

      Examine the piece in daylight, turning it back and forth. Look for a soapy sheen that is almost iridescent. In this light, the color should have a rather sickly tinge of yellow and the glass should be slightly opaque.

    • 2

      Consider the shape and function of the item. Does it match the time period when Vaseline glass was made? Most pieces hint either at Victorian design, with fussy crinkled edges and cut-glass decoration, or they point towards the Art Deco with angular, stepped motifs. If an item seems to come from a much earlier or much later time period, then it's probably not Vaseline glass.

    • 3

      Dim the lights and test the item with ultraviolet. Sites such as Crime Prevention Products offer a wide range of affordable U.V. lights. If the item is indeed Vaseline glass, then it will fluoresce a strong, bright green.


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